Katima Mulilo: The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) will issue duplicate voter cards to eligible voters who have lost or damaged their cards, ahead of the 17 June 2025 by-election in the Kabbe South Constituency.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Kahimbi Masule, ECN's Returning Officer for the scheduled by-election in the constituency, announced that duplicate voter cards would be issued at the constituency office at Nakabolelwa from Tuesday until Thursday. This initiative aims to ensure that all eligible voters can participate in the upcoming election, despite any logistical setbacks they may have faced with their voter identification.

The exercise of issuing duplicate cards will coincide with a five-day training program for 128 trainee polling officials in Katima Mulilo. Masule highlighted that the training will encompass a comprehensive set of topics, including electoral laws, voter verification, special procedures, the closing of polls, the counting process, and the upload and transmission of election results.

Additionally, Masule informed that ECN will conduct a stakeholder meeting on Thursday at the constituency office in Nakabolelwa. This meeting is set to address issues such as ECN's preparedness, polling points, special voting, election agents, logistics, deployment, polling station design, and demobilization. These efforts are part of a broader strategy to ensure a smooth electoral process in the constituency.

Masule urged registered voters who have lost or damaged their voter cards to obtain duplicates at the constituency office from 10 June to 12 June 2025. She clarified that the procedure is straightforward, requiring affected individuals to present a police declaration and an identity document before a duplicate can be reprinted and issued.

Kabbe South, which boasts over 3,500 registered voters, is preparing for the by-election following the resignation of former constituency councillor John Likando in March. Likando resigned to accept an appointment to serve in the National Assembly.